Black Bean Enchiladas in the Slow Cooker

Slow cooker meals are the greatest. There's nothing like spending a few minutes in the morning (or the night before) to assemble a meal in the cooker and coming home to a warm, inviting dinner all ready for you.

But many slow cooker recipes are for stew-y, heavy, comfort food-type meals. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but every now and again you might want something with a little more zing. These Black Bean Enchiladas fit the bill ... and they are also easily adaptable. Need fewer calories or more heat? Just sub in lower-calories tortillas and reduced-fat cheese, or add a spicier salsa.

Serve these with sour cream on the side and a veggie or fruit plate, and you have a good meal in almost no time. I don't work fast by any means and had this ready to go in the cooker within about 20 minutes.

1 teaspoon cumin (I didn't have enough chili powder so I boosted the cumin ... it was fine)

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided (I used Weight Watcher Four Cheese Mexican Blend; it melted really well for a low-fat cheese)

2 (16-ounce) jars of your favorite salsa (make sure you use salsa here and not enchilada sauce; I mistakenly grabbed enchilada sauce and it was too watery but still tasted good. I used green salsa since I hate cooked tomatoes and it was terrific.)

12 (6”-8”) tortillas, flour or corn (I used whole wheat ones that had been terrible for tacos, but were really good here with all the salsa and cheese and spices. Don't be afraid to go low-fat here!)

In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly.

Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and tuck it into the bottom of the Crock-Pot (measure the filling; I didn't and ran short on filling at the end, and only got 8 enchiladas out of this). Repeat with half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the Crock-Pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with another 1/2 cup of cheese.

Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt (this took less than 15 minutes with my cooker).

These can be cooked in the oven as well at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the salsa is bubbling hot and the cheese is melted.